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Questions?
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Sowbugs and
Pillbugs
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Look like tiny armadillos -
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Summary:
Normally these small land crustaceans don't harm
anything in the garden. Only occasionally will high
numbers cause damage to seedlings.
Sowbugs/pillbugs can also sometimes enter homes
to escape saturated soil or in search of water when
it is dry. They cause no damage in homes.
Jack
DeAngelis, PhD
OSU
Ext. Entomologist (ret.)
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Sowbugs,
pillbug, woodlice identification
Sowbugs,
pillbugs, or woodlice [more pictures] are small land
crustaceans, actually related to shrimp,
that are common in gardens. They are roughly 1/4"
long, gray to brown in color, have many pairs of
legs and a segmented body, and are often found in
groups under rocks or debris where the soil is damp.
Pillbugs roll into a ball when disturbed, sowbugs do
not roll up this way but otherwise the two are very
similar.
Sowbugs
and pillbugs normally don't harm garden plants. They
feed mostly on dead organic debris but occasionally
may damage young garden seedlings. Two situations
occur that cause gardeners and homeowners some
concern.
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Sowbugs
and pillbugs are found in moist
habitats under rocks and debris. Photo by E.
DeAngelis.
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Sometimes
tender, young garden seedlings are damaged, the damage
is similar to slug damage. This plant damage
only occurs when very high populations of these
critters are allowed to develop and when very young
plants are present. Plant injury is pretty rare and
can usually be easily managed.
The
second way sowbugs and pillbugs cause problems is when
they enter houses following rains when outside soils
become saturated, or in search of water when it is
extremely dry outside. Sowbugs found indoors, however,
won't cause any damage and can be simply swept up.
other
common names: woodlice (wood louse), lawn shrimp,
rollie-pollie (pillbug), rolly-polly, tumblebug,
doodlebug
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Control
In
one sense high numbers of these critters is really a
good thing-- it means that your garden soils are rich
in organic matter and healthy. You can reduce
the populations, however, by reducing the amount
of organic matter, such as compost, that you add to
the garden and by cutting back on the frequency of
watering. If the soil is allowed to go through
natural dry/wet cycle sowbug and pillbug numbers will
be reduced.
Gardeners
can use diatomaceous earth (see Using
Diatomaceous Earth for Pest Control) to manage
sowbug and pillbug damage to young seedlings. Place a
thin layer of this natural product directly over the
seed bed. There is also a new formulation of Sluggo slug
bait that contains spinosad, a natural
insecticide that can be used to safely manage earwigs
and sowbugs/pillbugs in the garden (see Using
Slug Baits).
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Mission:
To provide accurate, up-to-date and unbiased
information for solving common insect and mite
problems around your home, business and landscape
using least-toxic methods.
Jack
DeAngelis, Ph.D.
Please
see the Disclaimer
statements as well.
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